How to Cook Instant Ramen (Udon) with Mochi Rice Cake
“Mochi (餅)” is a traditional Japanese food made by steaming and pounding glutinous rice called “Mochi-Gome (餅米). It is a plain white rice cake used in various Japanese sweets and winter dishes.
As an example, annually from autumn to spring, cups (bowls) of instant noodles with a pack of Mochi rice cake are sold in supermarkets and convenience stores in Japan.
Instant ramen and udon noodles come with a Mochi pack, but instant (buckwheat) soba with a Mochi can’t be seen or probably has never gone on the market before.
The udon noodle soup topped with Mochi is generally called “Chikara Udon (力うどん)” and regarding instant Chikara Udon, “Shiroi Chikara Mochi Udon (白い力もちうどん)” from Maruchan is one of the most popular products.
| Maruchan Shiroi Chikara Mochi Udon |
|---|
  |
| Amazon.co.jp |
This Maruchan’s Chikara Udon has a light soy sauce-based dashi-rich broth, and with this, you can simultaneously enjoy 2 quintessential Japanese comfort foods, Udon and Mochi.
How to Cook Instant Noodles with Mochi
Actually, now, I have the “Mochi Mochi Ramen (もちもちラーメン)” instant noodle soup from Acecook above.
And this time, let me introduce a basic way to cook instant noodles with Mochi. For people who are interested, the instructions are listed below with pictures.
Instructions
| 1 |  |
First, peel back the paper lid about halfway and take all the packets out from the container. |
|---|---|---|
| 2 |  |
Put the Mochi rice cake, dehydrated garnishes, and soup base powder together into the bowl. |
| 3 |  |
Pour boiling water until it reaches the line indicated inside the bowl. |
| 4 |  |
Place the liquid soup base packet on the lid and wait until it is cooked for about 4 to 5 minutes. |
| 5 |  |
Then, remove the paper lid and add in the liquid soup base. Stir all the ingredients well, and enjoy the noodles with Mochi! |
At present, it seems to be difficult to get instant Mochi Ramen and Chikara Udon noodles outside of Japan.
However, if you just prepare a package or cup of instant ramen (udon) and a cake of Mochi (Kirimochi), you can easily make a bowl of Mochi Ramen or Chikara Udon.
A simple way: First, bake the Mochi rice cake in the toaster oven until soft and swelled, then cook the instant ramen and add in the toasted Mochi.
By the way, I think Mochi goes best with light soy sauce-based flavorful broth.
